5 minutes with... Lil Buck
During his recent visit to Oxford we met with Schwarzman Centre Cultural Fellow Lil Buck, who’s developing 1776 - a new collaboration with dance companies ZooNation and Oxford’s own Body Politic that reimagines the independence through movement.
Drawing on his roots in Memphis Jookin’, a street dance that originated on the streets of Memphis, Tennessee, he has been working closely with award-winning choreographer and Associate Artistic Director of ZooNation: The Kate Prince Company, Dannielle ‘Rhimes’ Lecointe in London, and is continuing to shape the project in Oxford.
In conversation, he reflects on how movement can speak its own kind of freedom, and how new and sometimes unexpected sources of inspiration are emerging through his encounters with Oxford’s academic community.
1776 will take to the stage during the 250th anniversary of the USA’s declaration of independence. How have you approached the creative process behind the show, and what have you been exploring so far?
We’ve been working on building a show around the idea of declaring independence, what that looks like, and how that connects with movement.
A lot of these street dance vernaculars – what I do, in Memphis Jookin’, and different forms within hip hop – felt the need to diverge and declare their own independence from the regimented structures they were expected to follow. That sense of divergence is central to our show: how we take what we’ve learned, what’s considered traditional, and then flip it.
Here in Oxford I’ve been speaking with experts about what the aesthetic of the eighteenth century actually was. What did it sound like? How did people move? How did movement evolve at pivotal points leading up to that historical moment of 1776? What are the parallels between that moment, and what’s going on right now? It’s exciting work.
I saw the Schwarzman Centre for the first time yesterday, and the building is incredible. It’s a beautiful place and I’m looking forward to performing there.
How has being in Oxford helped to shape your work so far?
A typical day for me here in Oxford as a Fellow involves meeting a lot of people and taking in a lot of information at once - which I don’t mind at all! It’s exciting for me. I’ve met educators who are studying across history and literature who are helping me to add value to what I’m doing, with the show and my Fellowship.
I’ve been given access to the Pavilion at St Hilda’s College, an incredible studio space. I’ve been enjoying being in Oxford, and taking in all the nature! It’s a beautiful campus. I’ve been in my creative zone, and bringing together everything I’ve been learning, and trying to embody that physically for the show.
Is there something unexpected that’s inspired your work recently?
Actually, yes! I’ve been talking to people who work on literature. Something that’s been unexpected is the idea of documentation, and the documentation of my dance vernacular in particular. That’s been something very interesting that I hadn’t approached yet, as far as a means of inspiration behind what I’m doing for my Fellowship. It’s definitely pushed me to think about documenting the process of me learning about the culture of what I do, and what I’m bringing to this Fellowship personally, with Memphis Jookin’, the style and dance culture that I come from.
As you explore documentation, has it changed the way you think about your movement and its history?
I’ve really been digging deep into what Memphis, my hometown, was like, during 1776 and the 18th century – what dance was like where I’m from. It’s been very intriguing to dig into the history of that, beyond what I already knew about Memphis’ Jookin. If you don’t know about Memphis Jookin’, it’s a dance culture that started in the late 1980s, leading through to the early 1990s and 2000s. It’s been ever-evolving. From my knowledge, it started with a very simplistic bounce that has different cadences that make it very notable – when you see it, you know it has ties to the culture.
Knowing that the dance came after the music, and the music helped birth the movement - the music being the Memphis underground rap music that it comes from – I’ve just been going deeper, and seeing what inspired that.
The connections between movement, music, and history you’re discovering and bringing to 1776 must be very inspiring. Has there been a moment in your research that’s shifted the way you think about your work?
It’s been interesting to look at different vernacular dances from the past that evolved outside of dance studios, like Earl “Snakehips” Tucker and people like that, who have very similar ways that they move their bodies. These are dancers that haven’t been documented, or don’t really have information out there about them. The idea that the people that are documenting these things didn’t capture everything that was going on – it’s just one side of the story.
When you realise so much wasn’t recorded, and often reflects a single perspective, where does that take you next in your exploration?
It’s finding out those people who are connected to the ones that I know have paved the way for what I do, with my dance culture, and finding people that are close to them, and trying to get information through those links. Overall, that’s been very intriguing: digging into what was happening culturally in my own back yard during the eighteenth century.
What are you most looking forward to in your Fellowship, and with 1776 as it evolves over the next few months?
I’m really looking forward to making the most of my time here and just learning as much as I can. Yesterday I spoke to someone who’s an expert on bones, and I got to pick their brains about the anatomy of the body. With my anatomy, with what I do – it's kind of wild! It’s not every day you get to come out to Oxford and have so much access to people who can help you get different insights into what you do. I am also excited to build this performance with ZooNation and Body Politic. These are different youth programmes that are extremely talented, and have different ways of storytelling and using storytelling mechanisms through movement.
I’m glad my non-profit, the Lil Buck Foundation, can be part of this too. We have professional Jookers back in Memphis who’ll be performing in 1776 in Oxford. They’ll benefit hugely from the access and inspiration to really dig deeper into what they can artistically do. It will help them become sponges of the world, and remain open channels to the different ways they can approach their movement. When we return next year in May and June, I’m excited about making something amazing for Oxford and my foundation.
